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View Poll Results: Should Emperor Hirohito have been charged with war crimes?

Re: Should Emperor Hirohito have been charged with war crimes?

Re: Should Emperor Hirohito have been charged with war crimes?

That is not quite as accurate as you might imagine.
That "symbolism" carried a lot of weight.
His complicity, cooperation, or at least lack of opposition allowwed the military to plow ahead with their agenda.
It was also very effective in maintaining order and pacifying post war Japan.

Re: Should Emperor Hirohito have been charged with war crimes?

But Japan was ruled by the military leaders, if the Emperor had tried something, the military leaders could have take him out of the "power", assassinated him,etc. I agree with you that he was very efective in the post-war japan, and that the people liked him, but he was just a puppet, and Tojo could have easily implanted a dictatorship, even if the japanese disliked it.